Oakland Athletics: Will A's Sell High on Josh Reddick?

The Oakland A’s probably aren’t going to make the playoffs this season—or in the next couple of seasons either. They’re in a rebuilding stage, which could be a reason to sell high on Josh Reddick.

Reddick is having an incredible season in Oakland after general manager Billy Beane acquired him from the Boston Red Sox during the offseason. Through 78 games this season, Reddick has already more than doubled his career high in home runs with 19.

Although Reddick currently isn’t on the AL All-Star team roster, he leads all Oakland A’s in wins above replacement by a huge margin. His WAR this year is 3.2. The next closest is Brandon McCarthy at 1.6. That’s saying something right there.

Reddick is clearly having a breakout season, but will he stay in Oakland through the entire season?

Beane wasn’t afraid to ship out some of his most prized possessions during this past offseason.

Beane shipped closer Andrew Bailey to the Red Sox to acquire Reddick, Miles Head and Raul Alcantara. He traded pitchers Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Jarrod Parker, Collin Cowgill and Ryan Cook—Oakland’s only All-Star representative this season.

If Beane thinks that he can get quality prospects for one of his players, he’s likely to pull the trigger. He is also likely to be a seller toward the trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Several teams could use a versatile outfielder such as Reddick, and selling him while he’s hot could be in Oakland’s best interest. There’s no doubt that some teams would be willing to deal a solid prospect in return for a power-hitting outfielder.

Reddick is tied for seventh in baseball among outfielders in home runs and is in the top 10 in WAR. His average isn’t the greatest but would still be a quality deadline pickup for a contender.

Is Reddick in Beane’s long-term plans, though?

Oakland already has Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes under contract for the next couple of seasons, and the A’s do have several talented outfield prospects in their minor league system. It wouldn’t be shocking if Reddick was dealt for a couple more arms for the future.

Unless the A’s go on quite the winning streak—like they did in 2002—and become contenders, it’s unlikely that they become buyers at the trade deadline.

With that said, will Reddick still be with the team on August 1, or will he be playing elsewhere?